As armed skirmishes in Central Asia entered their second week, Human Rights Watch said today that both governments and the Islamic insurgents must respect the rules of armed conflict. The group also warned against stepped-up repression in Uzbekistan against religious believers and political opponents.
More than a thousand civilians have evacuated Surkhandarya province, in southwest Uzbekistan, as the government attacked insurgents, using air strikes, artillery, and mortar fire. Led by Jumaboi Namangani, a fierce opponent of Uzbek President Islam Karimov, the insurgents invaded Uzbekistan from bases in nearby Tajikistan. They are demanding the release of religious Muslim believers in Uzbek prisons whom they believe to be falsely charged, as well as the establishment of Sharia law in the country.
Clashes with Islamic fighters broke out August 7 in Surkhandarya. They widened on August 11, as Tajikistan-based fighters attacked the Batken district of Kyrgyzstan?50 kilometers northeast of Surkhandarya?located near the Tajik-Kyrgyz border. The fighters were seeking to enter Uzbekistan from the north.
"This is an internal armed conflict, and there are rules that apply to protect civilians," said Rachel Denber, Acting Executive Director of Human Rights Watch's Europe and Central Asia division. "All parties to this conflict have to do everything to avoid civilian casualties. Now that air strikes are involved, the risk to civilian lives is even greater."
No civilian casualties have been reported so far. There are no reliable casualties figures for government troops and insurgents.
This is the second time in a year that political violence has seized Central Asia. Last August a group of armed militants attacked Batken, seizing hostages whom they eventually released.
In Uzbekistan, government forces have regained control over several villages in the Surkhandarya province and begun mop-up operations to arrest those suspected of supporting or participating in the armed conflict. "This is another major human rights concern," said Ms. Denber. "Uzbekistan has an ugly record of arbitrary arrests and torturing people in custody."
In the past two years, in response to several security emergencies, the Uzbek government has arrested thousands of men for "religious extremism," distributing religious leaflets, and membership in banned religious organizations. Arrests have targeted people who prayed in mosques not run by the government; sentences range from fifteen to twenty years in prison. Last week, Fakhriddin Tursunov, head of the Tashkent region's directorate of the National Security Service (SNB), exhorted the public to help police find "supporters of the terrorists," and "distributors of leaflets."
"There is a big difference between taking legitimate steps to protect state security and marching someone off to prison for fifteen years because he might have religious leaflets," said Ms. Denber.
